19 CHAPTER 19: ENCOUNTER WITH THE BOUNTY HUNTERS

She stopped the taxi at the third building before her apartment. She waited for the taxi to leave before she put on her mask. The mask that she was wearing only reveals her eyes. She used her bangs to cover her forehead leaving a small space for her eyes. She already planned her outfit when Lisa left her. She walked slowly and carefully towards her apartment building. Her apartment was located on the second floor. Opposite her apartment building were benches and trees that senior citizens use to sit on as they waited for the time to pass. She hid herself behind the trees. She inspected the surrounding; she saw a car parked in front of her apartment building. Two guys were sitting inside. One in the driver side and another one in the passenger seat. They kept looking at her apartment window from time to time. Once in a while, they checked the environment to see if the person they were looking for would miraculously arrive. She knew that they were waiting for her. She didn't know if there were guys inside her apartment. She had to be cautious.

"They have guns as well." She whispered to herself.

"I don't think she will ever come back in this apartment." The guy in the passenger seat spoke.

"We never know." The other guy answered. The driver got off the car, he needs to pee.

As soon as he was done, Aisha smashed his head with her gun. She checked his nose; he was still breathing. The other guy got off the car to light up a cigar. Suddenly, Aisha appeared behind him and knocked him off. She searched for anything she could find in his body. There was none except for his phone, so she took it.

She immediately ran towards her apartment building without making any sound. It was already 10pm so everyone was fast asleep. She slowly opened the door with her keys. It was dark inside. She needed to rely on the brightness of the moon which slightly penetrated the room through her window. Slowly, she trekked the kitchen. She found none. She slightly opened the door to her room. No one was in the bed. She went near the window. She could easily spot the car that was parked in front then she suddenly notices a cigarette butt on the table. However, it's too late to hide; something was being pointed behind her head. A gun! She slowly faces the person. It's a man! But she couldn't see his face. Her hands were swift to snatch the gun on his hands then she pointed it back to his forehead.

"Who are you? What do you need from me?" She asked in an intimidating tone. The guy laughed hysterically.

"I finally found you Miss Mikasa!" He attacked her hands. He was strong! And fast! Aisha dropped the gun. The man kicked her knees, she kneeled. She tried to fight back but the man suddenly stepped on her hands.

"There's no point in fighting, Miss Mikasa. You are surrounded." Someone switched on the light. Aisha saw 3 guns pointing at her. There were a total of 4 armed men in the room.

"Who are you? What do you need from me?" She asked. The guy sat in the bed while she stood up. She was analyzing her survival rate. She could definitely beat each of them, but all guns were pointing at her, survival rate was 50/50 coz there's a possibility that they would shoot her at once. Her other option was to jump outside the window, but it was somehow risky. It would damage her feet, and probably they would shoot her coz they could catch her easily since she wouldn't be able to run at the same time. But in any case that they needed her alive then they could still get her since she couldn't run that far. All options would lead her to either death or cage. But still, she didn't want to lose her faith. She had to survive no matter what.

"Miss Mikasa, do you know that you have the highest bounty on your head right now?" the guy explained.

"Who is trying to kill me?" She answered.

"Hmm… let me think. As far as I remember, one person placed 500,000 for your head, another 750,000 and the last one placed 1 million as a bounty. Seems like Miss Mikasa is a very dangerous person in the underworld huh..."

"I don't believe that you are working for an anonymous client. They would at least give their aliases. If you give me names, I promise to spare your life." The guy laughed hilariously. Even his men joined him.

"Miss Mikasa, are you saying that you can take us all?" He mocked her. His laugh echoed even outside. On the outside, one could definitely see 3 men pointing out their guns towards the woman and a man who constantly laugh through the moonlight shadow.

"I can see how brave you are. Your eyes doesn't even show any hint of fear. I just wonder why they would hunt a beautiful woman as you. I guess not all innocent looking girls are really harmless, huh." The man grabbed her chin with an amount of strength. She evaded his hands.

"Even if you escape us, I assure there are more bounty hunters coming after you ----- and your family as well. So if I were you, I'd rather offer myself as a sacrifice than sacrifice your husband, or perhaps, YOUR SON, hmmm … what was his name again? It's Eli right? Haha … you choose, Miss Mikasa, your life or their safety? Coz you can never hide from us!" The guy laughed frantically. Aisha's body tensed up when she thought of her family.

"Ethan, Eli…'' She whispered. He got her angry. "Don't ever go near my family!" She threatened him. She grabbed the man's hand and locked it behind him. She was whining in pain.

"Stay where you are or I will shoot him!" She said while pointing the gun that she kept under her jacket. The 3 guys stood back. Aisha walked near the window then she opened it wide.

"I'm warning you; don't ever try to go near my family, ever! Coz I will definitely wipe all of you!" She yelled. She broke his arms then jumped out the window.

Crackkkkk -------- it was the sound of her broken left arm. She slipped a foot when she jumped out the window. The force damaged her left arm.

"Ahhhhhhh!" She pursed her lips despite the pain. She tried to stand up to pick her gun but too late, one of the men was at the window ready to shoot her.

"Bangggg!" A gunshot was heard. She is bathed in blood. She looked above her. It was the man who was about to shot her! He was shot. He was definitely dead. But who shot him? She looked at her gun lying on the ground. She didn't fire it for sure.

Another gunshot was heard from a far. Someone was helping her! She took the chance to grab her gun and ran away. She was limping while holding her left arm. Pain was written all over her face.

She was able to get out from the apartment complex. She removed her mask and her cap and placed it in her bag pack. She tried to act normal, as if nothing happened. She tried to walk straight since there were few people on the road. She grabbed a taxi and called hunter to check if he was still awake, luckily he was. The taxi dropped her at the pet shop. As soon as she got off the car, hunter rushed to help her.

Hunter kept her belongings and gave her a new dress. She definitely couldn't go home with blood all over her shirt. He tried to restore her sprained ankle, luckily it was not that severe, but her arm was. Unfortunately, it needed to be checked in the hospital.

"Are you still going to keep this from your father?!" Hunter was so angry at her aggressiveness. She always acted alone. "They are bounty hunters, Aisha! You heard them!"

"I can't. I can't involve him! It's too much of a danger for him." Hunter sighed. He knew what she meant.

"How about Caleb? Are you going to tell him?"

"Soon. But not know. Don't tell them yet. I have to sort these things first." She insisted.

After hunter scolded her, he sent her home. He made sure to see Aisha until she gets inside the mansion gate.

"Hunter, thank you." She waved him goodbye.

Unknown to her, Ethan was watching as she entered the mansion gate. When Aisha entered their bedroom, she was surprised to see Ethan standing near the window. Her eyes widened.

"E-Ethan!" She met Ethan's cold gaze. Ethan was looking intently at her injured arm. Anger, disappointment and worry were written all over his face. She froze.